Newcomer in the Nether
by XGuestX
Summary: Antvenom is off to save Mincraftia from the evil Herobrine but gets in a little trouble with Herobrine's son.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, only the idea and story itself. **

**(A/N this is my first fanfic, sorry for it being so short. Thanks to ninjamaster01 for beta-ing this. Edit-I corrected grammar and spelling and I am reuploading the chapters so there are less mistakes)**

Antvenom was in the Nether, a place worse than Hell itself. But he was here for all the people in Minecraftia. The King of the Nether, Herobrine, had been ruthlessly slaughtering anyone who happened to pass through the Nether portal. Normally he would only take a small percentage of the human lives brave enough to venture in Hell, but in the past few months, every poor soul that went to collect glowstone never came back. Antvenom had taken it on himself to rid Minecraftia of Herobrine before he decided that the Nether was too small and that the Overworld would fit his needs just fine.

It was not hard to find the Nether fortress where Herobrine was said to reside. The fortress was located over the slight hills of gravel and Netherrack and drew the eye more than shimmering, shining glowstone veins. A piercing screech broke the quiet pops and hisses of the lava surrounding Herobrine's castle. Antvenom looked up and saw a Ghast spit a fireball at him just in time to duck. The explosion barely missed his head and Antvenom almost fell in the boiling lava as he stumbled away. Ant pulled out his Power I bow and shot at the Ghast, just missing. A fire ball exploded behind him, leaving slight burns on his back as Antvenom shot again. This time his arrow hit the Ghast and it exploded, dropping some experience and a Ghast Tear that fell to the ground and into the lava. Antvenom took a deep breath and started walking carefully on the one-block-wide Netherbrick walkway. When he reached the end of the bridge, he looked up at the fortress. It loomed in front of him, complete with turrets reaching to the top of the Nether. It had a menacing, evil look to it that made Ant shiver even in the heat of the Nether.

Suddenly, the gate opened and a horde of angry Zombie Pigmen rushed out to attack Antvenom. He took a step back and held a defensive stance as the Pigmen rushed towards him. Ant slashed his sword at the first one, cutting it almost in half. The five Pigmen behind it roared and all attacked Ant at once. He parried the first one and jumped out of the way as the second almost sliced off his head. Antvenom, knowing he was outmatched, sprinted across the bridge, and as he did he sheathed his diamond sword. The Pigmen were starting to catch up, and as a last ditch attempt, Ant pulled out a gold sword and grabbed his amulet, muttering in another language. He then turned to face the Pigmen, and as Ant did, he was cut by the laughing Pigmen. They were devoid of any emotion but what Herobrine created them with, and apparently the pain of others was something they enjoyed. They cut him numerous times, drawing him near to his death, while Antvenom only killed two of them. His vision was starting to fade and Ant fell to the ground, expecting never to wake up again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, only the idea and story itself.**

**(A/N Thanks for the positive reviews and to ninjamaster01 for beta-ing)**

Antvenom was awakened by someone holding his head and feeding him a healing potion. Ant blinked and saw SkyDoesMinecraft there, and noticed that both of their amulets were glowing.

"S-sky?" He croaked out.

"Shh, the less you talk the more you gain your strength," Sky said, and then he pulled out a golden apple. Antvenom's face brightened immediately. He groaned and sat up, taking the golden apple. "It was my last budder apple, but I would willing give it to keep my brother alive" Sky said, smiling. They both stood up and Ant ate the golden apple, savoring its delicious flavor. He felt the bruises and cuts in his body healing up, and soon after got ready to leave.

"Ant this may sound strange but I am not actually here. This body is a illusion of sorts, made by the bond between our amulets and strengthened by our budder swords. If you choose to go on, I may help, but only if you keep fighting with your budder sword," Sky then said.

"Brother, as much as I wish I could continue with you, this is my mission alone. If something were to happen, I would not want you to die. The Sky Army needs you," Antvenom said sadly.

"I expected you would say that," Sky replied. "Well, good luck Antvenom."Sky then began to slowly fade away.

"Wait, Sky, what happened to the Pigmen?" Ant asked, looking to Sky as he then became almost completely transparent.

"They died; such brutes are not worthy to wield budder swords," Sky explained as he then completely vanished before Ant's eyes.

Antvenom sighed, and then he walked back across the bridge, looking at the open gate. A figure was approaching him and Ant gasped in surprise; it was a human. The man was accompanied by two Wither Skeletons, and he had on shades almost as red as the Netherrack surrounding them.

The man was wearing a suit, and a messily buttoned white dress shirt. He had black hair and his blue eyes looked cold and calculating. "You are a decent warrior Antvenom, so we will not kill you immediately. What is your purpose for entering the Nether?" The man said in a harsh voice.

"It is to rid the world of a great evil; I think you know what I mean," Antvenom replied while looking the man in the eye. "I thought there were no humans left in the Nether, Herobrine was rumored to kill them all." Antvenom then let out a pained laugh, "But I suppose the call of evil can be loud-"

"SILENCE, FOOL!" the man roared, which then shut Antvenom right up. The man then sighed. "You are correct; there are no humans left in the Nether. I am no mere human, though. I am the son of Herobrine himself! But you won't be telling anyone that, no, you will die before that happens!" He then uttered a sharp command in a language Ant didn't know, and four more Wither Skeletons appeared, all then attacking Antvenom. They were far more intelligent and better warriors than Pigmen were, so Ant had no chance. He put up a good fight, barely managing to kill one, before being knocked out once again.

Antvenom woke up with a piercing headache and wounds all over his body. "Not again," he groaned to himself. Ant looked around, studying his surroundings. He was in a cell and there was only one way out-an iron door. Ant stood up, and promptly collapsed on the floor as his head spun. He felt too dizzy to stand. After waiting a few minutes, he stood up again, this time more slowly, and he then walked over to the door. Antvenom tried to open the door. It was locked, of course.

Ant looked around his cell more carefully this time. There were two windows made of Netherbrick fences, which would be impossible to get out of unless he had TNT. But even if he did have it, it would be a fool's errand to use it on the said windows because he would die in the process. Other than that there was a toilet and a piece of rotten flesh lying on the ground. Antvenom grimaced, but pocketed the rotten flesh, knowing that it may be the only food he got. He looked at his sword sheath, wishing that the son of Herobrine had not taken his weapons and food. Suddenly, a door in the hallway opened. A Zombie Pigman was holding Ant's cell open, and shortly after, the Nether Prince himself entered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, only the idea and story itself.**

**(A/N Yay a new chapter. Thanks to ninjamaster01 for beta-ing)**

"Speak of the devil," Ant muttered as he looked at the man, glaring. "Well, what do you want?" He asked angrily.

"You should not speak that way to me if you wish to live," The Nether Prince stated in his cold manner. "But if it is your wish to die, I could help with that," The son of Herobrine replied. "Yes... I could help" He said, the smallest trace of a smile appearing on his face.

"Alright, Your Majesty," Antvenom bowed and began in a mocking tone "what is the real reason you're here?"

This time Ant was sure he saw a smile. "I don't see humans very often. Is curiosity not a good enough reason to see the 'great warrior' who took down so many guards?" This time the Nether Prince was then one using a mocking tone. He unlocked the door and stepped aside for Ant to get out. Ant looked suspiciously at the Nether Prince but left his cell a moment later.

"Where are we-?"

"Quiet, prisoner; I did not give you permission to speak." Antvenom looked shocked at the harshness of the words, but wisely said nothing else. They walked for a long time through hallways and stairs, until Ant was thoroughly lost. Finally, the Nether Prince opened a door, and after closer inspection, Ant realized that it was leading into a bedroom. Other than a large queen-size bed, there was a small table with two chairs and a door leading to another room.

"What are we do-mph!" Antvenom's words were cut off by a punch to the mouth.

"I don't remember telling you to speak," The Nether Prince said in a deadly tone. "Sit" He said softly, indicating to the closer of the two chairs, the one nearest to the door. Antvenom rubbed his mouth and took his seat, looking at the Nether Prince as he took his chair after closing the door.

"Now, Antvenom, you may ask three questions. Choose carefully"

Ant opened his mouth, then thought better of it and closed it. He sat in silence for a few seconds, and then he said, "How can you live with yourself knowing that you have caused so much pain and death?"

"Is that truly your question, warrior? What a waste. Why? Because I am not the one being hurt and causing others pain is just so enjoyable," The son of Herobrine answered simply.

_"What, because it's fun?!_ It's fun! I thought maybe someone had wronged you but you're just a sadistic bastar-" Antvenom's words were cut off as he screamed in pain. He then stared at the son of Herobrine. The Nether Prince took his hands off Antvenom's arm, and said in a soft, deadly tone,

"Insult me again and I'll break your other arm. You're lucky I broke your left arm instead of your right; if I did, you wouldn't be able to wield a sword."

"Notch help me," Antvenom whispered as he tried not to concentrate on the pain. He wondered how much longer he could survive in this Hell hole.

"Now, do you want to ask your other two questions, or do you wish to go back to your cell?"

"I-I'll ask one more. What is your plan for the citizens of Minecraftia? They are happy, they love each other, and are constantly working together to take down monsters-what are you going to do to them?"

"Frightened humans make far better slaves than Pigmen; they are far smarter and can figure out what to do if their orders are unclear," The Nether Prince smiled, showing white teeth. "They are also so much fun to torture, always begging for mercy."

"I'm going to be sick," muttered Ant and clutched his stomach with his one good arm. "Neth-Your Majesty, could I go back to my cell and have dinner?" Ant said, looking miserably up at the son of Herobrine.

"Now why would you want to do that?" The Nether Prince asked, "I do believe it is my turn to ask questions."

For the next hour the Nether Prince quizzed Antvenom on Minecraftia and its citizens. He seemed especially interested in the oceans that were so common in the Overworld. There was no water in the Nether, with its seas of lava being the closest thing to it. He also asked Ant about the citizens of Minecraftia and the Sky Army, but Ant refused him that knowledge and any knowledge that might help Herobrine take control of the Overworld.

Finally the Nether Prince stood up and led Ant back to his cell. A little while later a Wither skeleton unlocked the cell door and a Zombie Pigman threw in a loaf of bread and a red apple. Antvenom stared in shock at the food but grabbed it and ate the apple and half the bread in minutes. He pocketed the other half, then turning to the Pigman. "Where did you get this food?" Ant asked. The Pigman answered with grunts and snorts and then Ant sighed, "I don't speak Pigman. Could you tell me in Minecraftian where you got the food?"

The Pigman grunted again but started to walk away. The Wither Skeleton then said in heavily accented Minecraftian,

"He said they got it from a man who they killed today. He was carrying a golden sword and was screaming about..." He paused and grunted to the Pigman who was just about to leave the hallway. The Pigman responded in the same language and left. "Well, the man was screaming about something called budder."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, only the idea and story itself.**

**(A/N More action in this chapter****. Thanks to ninjamaster01 for beta-ing)**

Ant gasped in shock and grabbed his amulet, concentrated, and muttered, "Sky are you there?" There was no answer, so he muttered a few words in an ancient language and waited. A strange presence entered his head. And then he heard a voice saying,

_Budder, budder, budder, budder; oh, hey Dawn. Wait, what's Fluffy doing this time? Budder. OK, I'll get to-What the crap! Ant? Is that you?_

_Sky, you're alive! I thought you were dead!_

_What, why would I be dead?_

_Um...because the Wither Skeleton told me that someone who was screaming "Budder" and who had a budder sword had been killed by the Pigman guards._

_Really? Crap, I guess I need to be more strict on the recruits and close all the Nether Portals. Well, as I much as I'd love to talk, Fluffy and the Frog are trying to steal my budder flower collection. Got to go. Budder, budder, budder, budder-plenty of ore, in Minecraft. Diamond, coal, Lapis, and more. But alas there is one, that stands among the rest, one that's a symbol..._

Sky's voice faded away and Ant opened his eyes. Ant sighed in relief. Sky was still alive and well. That was one thing Herobrine couldn't take from him. Antvenom sighed again, but since it was late and there was nothing else he could do, he decided to sleep.

Antvenom had a hard time falling asleep on the Netherbrick floor, but he was exhausted. Ant slept through the night until the sound of a someone unlocking his cell woke him.

"The King wants to see you," a Wither Skeleton proclaimed. "You are to be prepared for battle. He will give you weapons."

Ant yawned and stretched, then cried out in pain as he moved his left arm. He was sore all over from sleeping on the hard floor. Ant stood up and let the Wither Skeleton lead him to the Throne Room of the Nether Fortress. It had a high ceiling and in the middle there was a blood red carpet that led the way to a shining quartz throne. There were quartz pillars holding up the ceiling. In the throne was a man, he looked normal until you looked into his eyes. It was obvious that he was a god from the way they glowed white. The way he was sitting made it seem that he was higher than everyone in the room, including his son, who was standing at his right hand and the Blaze at his left. Then he spoke, and all the bad thoughts that Ant had been thinking about him rushed out of his head.

"Antvenom," Herobrine said with a tone that suggested familiarity, but that was not what made his voice so unique. His voice thrummed with power and it made Ant want to believe whatever he said. "I hear you haven't been giving my son, CaptainSparklez, what he wanted. Information can be worth lives you know... perhaps he has not been persistent enough."

Antvenom found himself nodding, agreeing with what Herobrine was saying. Then, he stopped, and looked up at Herobrine. "I will never willingly give up anything that could help you, Herobrine!"

CaptainSparklez whispered angrily in Herobrine's ear, "You should smite him for talking to you like that!"

Herobrine merely smiled, and then he said, "Sparklez wants me to kill you, Antvenom, but I think things can be a little more...interesting." This time, though, his voice wasn't as persuading. Herobrine nodded to a Pigman, who grunted and left the Throne Room. "Luckily, I expected you to respond that way, and so I had prepared a bit." The Pigman reentered the room, carrying two gold swords. It gave one to the Nether Prince, bowing, and then walking over to Ant, where it grunted and jabbed the sword at him to take.

"Are we going to...fight?" Ant asked, confused. He had expected to be sent back to his cell. He took the sword in his right hand and groaned, he was at a huge disadvantage with his broken arm.

Herobrine then said, "Begin."

Sparklez shot forward, faster than any human could ever go, and slashed at Ant, who raised his sword and barely managed to parry. The impact jarred his arm, but before he had time to recover, the Nether Prince struck again, leaving a painful cut on Ant's cheek.

"Too slow," He said, grinning. He then struck again, which Ant dodged. Now Antvenom was prepared and fought with all his skill, but every time he switched from defense to offensive, he would miss and get another wound as a reward. CaptainSparklez was impossibly fast and he didn't seem to be tiring while Ant was already breathing hard. After about an hour, Ant was nearing exhaustion and had cuts and wounds all over his body, including one on his forehead which was bleeding into his right eye, blinding him. Sparklez had yet to get hit and was sweating lightly and breathing a little harder than usual. Ant feared that he would soon lose his life as Sparklez backed him against a pillar and took a swing at him. Luckily, Ant ducked. The gold sword smashed into the quartz and shattered from the force of the blow.

But Ant knew he wasn't saved yet; he knew from experience that Herobrine's son was just as proficient at hand-to-hand combat as swordsmanship. As a last ditch effort, he swung his sword at the surprised Nether Prince, aiming to take off his head. Sadly, his depth perception was bad because his blinded eye. Antvenom just knocked off CaptainSparklez's red shades and sliced his face above his eyebrows as the man ducked out of the way. Ant then found himself staring into piercing blue eyes. Wait, blue eyes? Ant blinked and looked again, but the eyes staring back at him were blue and the blood was...red.

"You're not a god, you are a human!" Ant gasped as the knowledge that was hidden from him finally sank in.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, only the idea and story itself.**

**(A/N Thanks so much for 9 reviews(wow!), special thanks to Jeff's Icy Dragon of Minecraft for reviewing every chapter so far. And of course thanks to my beta-er ninjamaster01 :D)**

With Antvenom distracted, Sparklez grabbed Ant's sword and put him in a headlock with the sword to his throat. "Let me kill him, father!" He said, finally breathing hard after all the fighting.

"No, he still has some use... little as that is. You may do what you want with him, but he must be alive," Herobrine said in a cruel voice. He then got off his throne and started walking towards the door. The Blaze and guards left with him.

Sparklez threw Ant on the ground and smashed his sword at the quartz pillar with a roar and watched as it broke into pieces.

"Get up, scum," He growled, then walking over and kicking Ant in the stomach. Antvenom keeled over in pain, but made an effort to get up, clutching his stomach with his right hand. He shook slightly but looked up into the son of Herobrine's eyes, and saw emotions swirling inside. Anger, sorrow, confusion and pain. But then, he saw the hatred, and felt a burning pain as CaptainSparklez punched his eye. Then, it turned into a full-scale attack as the man punched and kicked any part of Ant's body that was exposed. Finally, he sent a powerful kick that made Ant fly backwards a few feet and crash his head into a pillar, blissfully slipping him into unconsciousness.

When he woke up, the first thing Ant noticed was that he was in a bed. The second thing was that he was only wearing underclothes, and the third was that his amulet was missing! He sat up, and then cried out because of the pain in his arms and chest. Antvenom looked down and saw a pattern of black and blue bruises and cuts on his chest; some of the newly formed scabs had torn open. He looked around and noticed he was in a small room with a chair next to his bed and his clothes and amulet on a table to his right. A door opened and the Nether Prince walked in with two vials of greenish orange cream. "My father wants me to help you heal up, but I don't see a reason why..." He sat down on the chair and pulled out a Ghast tear from his pocket. "Here, eat this." Ant took the tear from his hand and put it in his mouth, quickly swallowing. Immediately his stomach began to burn and his limbs seemed to stop working. Ant felt his body seize up and he fell backwards onto his bed, and lay there, unable to use his limbs. Suddenly, all the pain in his body seemed to fade away, and Sparklez spoke. "The tear has put you in a temporary paralysis so I can apply the magma cream on your wounds." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out some shimming orange dust. CaptainSparklez carefully put it on Ant's eyes and mouth. Antvenom felt a tingling sensation where the dust touched his skin and found that he could move his eyes and mouth.

After blinking a few times, he asked,

"Why are you being so kind to me, CaptainSparklez?" The son of Herobrine flinched when he heard his true name, but then he sighed.

"My father made me. But, why did you do it?"

"Do what?" asked Ant, confused. Why would Herobrine want him healed?

"You... you used magic on me, didn't you?"

"Um...no? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sparklez was quiet for a long time, then he reached into his vial and got some of the green-orange cream. Then he gently put it on Antvenom's bruises. Ant stared in shock as the bruises faded away to clean, unmarked skin. "That's amazing!" Ant cried out. "Could I have more of it? And what did you mean by-"

"Yes, there's more magma cream," Sparklez interrupted, "What is the meaning of your amulet?"

"It helps me speak with my brother in the Overworld," Ant explained, then, before the Nether Prince could speak again, he quickly said, "What do you mean by magic? What did I do to you? I can't use magic..."

"You claim to not have cursed me... then explain to me why I suddenly feel bad for you and your humans in the Overworld?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, only the idea and story itself.**

**(A/N Short chapter :/ I think there will only be two more chapters after this, they may take a few days each. Thanks to my beta-er ninjamaster01 :D)**

"You..." Antvenom was speechless; he simply had never expected this to happen. It could change his plans of killing Herobrine for better, or maybe for worse. Ant thought carefully before he spoke, for whatever he said could change Sparklez's mind or make things far worse. "Sparklez, that's not a curse, but a blessing. I feel the same way; you have finally seen some truth in your father's maze of lies. He may seem to do what is good for you, but I know he only cares for himself. Don't you see it in his eyes when he looks at you?" The Nether Prince opened his mouth to speak, but Ant wasn't done. "Tell me Sparklez, has Herobrine ever once been kind to you?"

Sparklez opened his mouth again to protest, but shut it, because he knew what Antvenom had said was true.

For the next hour CaptainSparklez used up the rest of the magma cream on Ant, who had eaten the half loaf of bread and two apples that Sparklez had given him. The Ghast tear had slowly worn off and after sleeping for another few hours, Ant felt like himself for the first time in days.

* * *

"Father," The son of Herobrine said as he bowed to his king, "I ask a favor of you."

"A favor?" Herobrine's rich voice sounded slightly surprised. "Does this favor have anything to do with our human prisoner? Hmmm?"

Sparklez nodded. "Yes, I wish to take ownership of him. He would be my first human pet, and humans are far more intelligent than magma cubes."

"Are you referring to your old pet Gerry? The one who was killed by a passing adventurer for his magma cream? Well, well, son. It's finally time for you to take on responsibility. You'll have to feed it and make sure it doesn't die." Herobrine laughed a cold laugh, and then he said "Be gone, Sparklez, before I change my mind."

The Nether Prince nodded and quickly left the throne room. He went to his room and lay on his bed, thinking. Why was he helping Antvenom? His father wasn't that bad...but then again, he had never seen Ant hurt anyone just for fun, only in self-defense. Was that what life was for normal humans? Life was getting far more complicated than Sparklez had ever thought it could get; before Ant he had never question his father, but now? CaptainSparklez let out a frustrated noise, then putting his hand and concentrating. Within seconds, he had summoned fire; it floated about an inch above his palm. Sparklez let out a cry and threw the fire across the room, watching it hit the wall and go out. There were similar scorch marks on the wall from other times that he had been mad. If Herobrine has seen the marks he would be furious... too bad he never visited his son's room.

* * *

Antvenom tossed and turned on the hard Netherrack floor. Getting comfortable was virtually impossible with the tiny pebbles and powder created by the soft rock. The sound of his cell door being unlocked made Ant sit up and look as a Zombie Pigman threw him a blanket, then locking the cell again. "Wait, why did Herobrine want me to have a blanket?" Ant said as the Pigman walked away.

"Not Herobrine who gave it," The Pigman answered in Minecraftian, but with an accent Ant could barely understand.

"Hey, how come you can speak Minecraftian?" Ant asked on an impulse, genuinely confused. But the Pigman merely grunted and  
left. "Why would someone give me a blanket?" Antvenom mused aloud, staring at the blanket in confusion.

"And more importantly... who?" He shrugged and curled up in the blanket, promptly falling sound asleep moments later.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, only the idea and story itself.**

**(A/N I made a really long chapter to make up for the short ones before. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and hope you enjoy reading it! Thanks to ninjamaster01 for beta-ing)**

When Ant woke up, he found that there was a piece of steak lying next to him on the floor. Ant quickly ate it, trying to savor the taste, but found that he was too hungry to do so. He looked from his meal to see CaptainSparklez in his cell. "Augh! What the Nether are you doing here?!" Ant cried as he jumped backwards in shock.

The son of Herobrine snickered and looked around Ant's cell. "You don't want to stay in this cell any more, do you 'Venom?" He asked.

"Um, no," Ant ventured carefully. "Why?" As an answer, Sparklez merely grabbed Antvenom's shoulder and they both disappeared from the cell.

Ant and Sparklez appeared in the Nether Prince's room, and as they did, Ant stumbled, nearly falling as he was not used to teleporting.

"Sparklez, how in Minecraftia did you do that? I thought you were human!"

"Well, maybe you thought wrong," said Sparklez with a smile on his lips. "By the way, yesterday I, uh, took full responsibility for you. My father is not in charge of you anymore."

"On the assumption that that's a good thing, I have a serious question to ask you. CaptainSparklez, would you be willing to rid the world of a great evil by helping me kill Herobrine, the King of the Nether?"

"Yes, that man never did anything to help me. I can see clearly now that everything he did was for his own godly purposes," Sparklez said in a mocking tone. "I would be glad to rid to world of someone who I have the misfortune to call my father."

"Alright so if we are going to kill him, we should probably sit down," Antvenom said, motioning to the two chairs where they had sat the first time they had talked together.

After getting comfortable in the chairs, Sparklez spoke. "I think one of the reasons Herobrine has been around for so long is his army of Nether creatures. Also, people think he is invincible, when he's really not. Herobrine can move faster than any human and is stronger than any human, but he too, like humans, can be killed with a simple sword. But, he can teleport like me, so everyone who attempted to kill him, well, they died."

"We'll need to find a way that hasn't been tried yet, then," Ant responded, still not backing down from the challenge.

"We just need to surprise him," said Sparklez simply. "But, that is something far easier said than done. We should also train you, so you can be as fast and strong as you can physically be." Ant nodded and Sparklez put out his hand.

"What?" Ant asked confused, staring down at the Nether Prince's hand.

"We're going somewhere far from here so Herobrine doesn't get suspicious. I told him I was going to take a week to travel around the Nether so I already have supplies."

Ant smiled and said, "Good thinking," as he took the Nether Prince's hand. Then, they both vanished from the room.

As the reappeared again, Ant was hit by a blast of hot air. Apparently, the Nether Fortress was kept a few degrees cooler than the rest of the Nether. He let go of Sparklez and looked around. He soon saw a simple, small cobblestone hut on a large Netherrack platform.

"Where is this place? It's abandoned aside from us..." Antvenom asked curiously.

"It's, um, a private place of mine. No one is else allowed to come here except my father, but he respects my privacy," Sparklez responded. "Here we can train you, but we only have a week, so let's get started."

For the rest of the day, CaptainSparklez taught Ant how to become faster and stronger using simple, but ingenuous, tactics. By the end of the day, Antvenom was exhausted and sweating buckets.

"O-OK, can we stop and sleep now?" He panted.

"Sure, I got beds in the house." To say it was a house was an overstatement, as it was merely a cobblestone rectangle, but it was the most welcoming place Ant had seen so far.

Inside the house, there was a single chest and a double bed. In the corner, a small trap door was hidden within the shadows. Sparklez opened the chest, grabbing a loaf of bread and a strange potion. He threw the bread to Ant and downed the glowing golden-red potion in one go.

"Alright, we're going to be up early for training tomorrow, so get some sleep," Sparklez said with a yawn as he got in one side of the bed.

"Alright, but no funny business OK?" asked Antvenom as he got into his side of the bed. Sparklez just laughed; it was a pleasant sound that made Ant smile himself. The Nether Prince sure had changed since Ant had met him.

* * *

"Rise and shine!" Sparklez cried out as he shook Ant a bit to wake him up.

"Uugh, what time is it?" Ant grumbled as he rolled over.

"Time doesn't work in the Nether the same way as it does in the Overworld," Sparklez said cheerfully. "So, it's time to get up!"

"Why are you so happy?" Mumbled Ant as he slowly sat up.

"I sleep through the night... haven't done that in weeks." He snickered. "Maybe I should sleep with you more often"

"Oh shut up" said Ant as he playfully punched CaptainSparklez in the shoulder.

After breakfast, more bread for Ant and more of the glowing potion for Sparklez, they got to work. It was another tiring day for Antvenom, but he could feel himself getting stronger after the fiftieth time he carried a large lump of gravel across a patch of Soulsand as fast as he could. After a break, he asked the son of Herobrine, "OK, since you're having fun watching me struggle, I challenge you to race me across the Soulsand."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sparklez asked with a dangerous glint in his eye.

"Y-yes." They got into positions and Ant said, "On your mark, get set, GO!" Immediately, they started running through the Soulsand as fast as he could. It was quickly made obvious that he had never had a chance. The Nether Prince sprinted with feather-light feet across the Soulsand with inhuman speed and was done in less than ten seconds. It took Ant more than a minute. Once he was done, Antvenom stared at Sparklez in awe. "H-how did you do that?!"

"Well, before when we were fighting, you accused me of being human. That's not true, nor am I fully god or Herobrine would have gotten rid of me already, but that's beside the point. I am part human, part god, which is still deadly against humans and a useful tool for a god. So, I have very... uh, enhanced human abilities and some magical powers. Also, things in the Nether have limited effects on me, such as lava doesn't kill me. It only gets uncomfortably hot."

Understanding dawned on Ant, and he said, "Wait a minute, you cheated! Soulsand doesn't affect you, does it?!"

Sparklez just smiled innocently and spread his hands in a way that seem to say, "Who me? Never; you have the wrong guy."

"I'm going to kill you," screamed Ant as he started running towards CaptainSparklez, who swiftly dodged out of the way and started running away. "You tricked me!"

"Oh, but your face! It was so worth it!" Sparklez said and started laughing uncontrollably as he remembered Ant's expression. He was so busy laughing that he didn't notice that Antvenom hadn't stopped running towards him. Sparklez fell over as Ant tackled him and pinned him down.

"Say you're sorry"

"OK, OK, I'm sorry... not," He said childishly. "Do you really think you can beat me?" Sparklez asked with a casual smile. He quickly flipped Ant and pinned him. Ant struggled and tried to loosen the hold, but found the Nether Prince's grip to be as strong as iron.

_Five minutes later..._

"Fine, I give up," Ant said with a sigh. "You win." Sparklez let go and let Antvenom stand up.

"Nice job," He said and put out his hand. "You fight better than any human I've known."

Ant shook CaptainSparklez's hand and said hopefully, "Can we go to bed now?" Sparklez nodded, and then they walked into the cobblestone house together.

* * *

"Hey, Sparklez, wake up!" Ant called to his friend early in the morning. Sparklez blinked sleepily, groggily groaning.

"How are you awake before me? You hate getting up early."

"I made some, uh, renovations to the house."

"What did you do!?" The Nether Prince cried out as he swiftly got up and out of bed.

"It's nothing bad, just come outside and I'll show you," Ant quickly reassured Sparklez, and they then both left the house.

Sparklez looked up to the house, and instead of the flat roof that had been there before, there was a pretty cobblestone stair roof that ended with a pointy tip. The son of Herobrine gasped and embraced his friend tightly.

"It's beautiful. No one has ever done anything like that for me. Thank you, Antvenom," Sparklez said softly.

Ant smiled and put his arms around his friend.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, only the idea and story itself.**

**(A/N Last chapter! I've had lots of fun writing this story and I can tell that I've improved. Hope you guys have enjoyed! Thanks to ninjamaster01 for beta-ing**

"Can't... breathe," Ant gasped out as he and CaptainSparklez hugged.

"Oh, sorry," Sparklez said sheepishly as he pulled away from the hug. "Today is when we leave, so let's get gear." He walked back inside the now pretty cobblestone house and opened a trapdoor that Ant had barely noticed before. "Ladies first," He said with a grin as he motioned to the ladders that went deep down into the ground.

"That means you should go first," Ant fired back, not very willing to go down a dark hole.

"Touché," Sparklez replied, and then he went down first. With slight hesitation, Antvenom followed.

When the ladders stopped, Ant turned around and gasped at the room that CaptainSparklez was calmly standing in. It was filled to the brim with armor, weapons and tools of all durability and type. There were pristine iron swords, enchanted bows, too many arrows to count, and more armor than Antvenom had ever seen in one place before. He gently touched a worn leather helmet and trailed his fingers on some shiny diamond boots, glancing at the enchants on a stone sword. Sharpness II and Fire Aspect.

"Where did you get all this stuff?" He asked in awe.

"People are always coming into the Nether for glowstone or lava or adventure... this is what happened to the ones who never came back. Or, at least, the ones that the Pigmen or I killed, because than I could get their gear. Let's take what we can to put it to good use," The Nether Prince said simply.

Ant nodded sadly as he thought of how many lives had been lost but looked through the diamond armor for the highest durability.

_A few minutes later..._

Antvenom had chosen full diamond armor with more than half durability and an Infinity bow with an arrow. He had also chosen a Sharpness I diamond sword and an Unbreaking III golden sword.

Sparklez had taken an undamaged diamond sword with no enchantments and a simple bow with lots of arrows. For armor he had taken an iron chest plate and a diamond helmet.

"Hey, Sparklez, are you sure you're going to be OK in that armor?" Ant asked nervously.

"If I can't protect myself without help against Pigmen, then I have no hope against Herobrine," Sparklez said as he started to climb up the ladder. "After all, Herobrine is not likely to fight with a sword; he uses his mind and sometimes his hands and legs."  
Ant nodded and followed behind, still looking unsure about the safety of his friend.

Once at the top, Ant ate an apple and Sparklez his potion. "What is in that potion, Sparklez? I've never seen it before," Antvenom asked, curiosity having finally gotten the better of him.

"Um," The son of Herobrine looked embarrassed, "It is one of the few things that tastes good and gives energy to something like me. Human food is too bland and Herobrine doesn't need to eat or sleep. It's glowstone dust and Pigman blood."

"...Ah, OK, forget I asked..." Ant said quickly and Sparklez nodded. Then his expression changed and he asked Ant softly,

"Are you ready to go?"

"No time better than the present," Ant said as he took the Nether Prince's hand. In an instant, they both vanished.

* * *

The duo appeared in a hallway that led to the Throne Room. Sparklez walked ahead to open the door and saw that Antvenom was holding his amulet and muttering some good luck charm.

"Come on!" He whispered urgently. Ant let go of his amulet and together, they stepped forward through the door.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Herobrine's voice purred from his throne, not seeming the least bit surprised. "Come now, CaptainSparklez. I expected better of you than to mess around with humans."

"This human is my friend," Sparklez said through gritted teeth. "And he has been kinder to me than you ever were!"

"Harsh words from a man who has slain countless humans just like this one. If you wanted a different pet you could have just asked me... unless, of course, you weren't looking for a platonic relationship. There are some fine humans in the Overworld that would fit your needs better than this one," Herobrine said cruelly, motioning to Ant, who looked shocked. In the blink of an eye, Sparklez pulled out his sword and took three steps forward. Suddenly, he stopped. He blinked, crouched in a fighting stance, and sliced his sword in the air a few times as if fighting invisible enemies. Antvenom was confused, until two Pigman heads hit the floor along with their bodies. "You've become soft, Sparklez," Herobrine called out to his son. "There was once a time when you would never enter a room without checking for possible attacks." He waved his hand and an army appeared out of nowhere.

There were twenty Pigman, two Wither Skeletons, and two Blazes. The Blaze flew in the air and prepared to throw fireballs at Ant and Sparklez. Sparklez whipped out his bow and fired an arrow into the first before it could react. The Blaze both threw their fireballs at Sparklez, but in an amazing display of agility, he dodged and managed to shoot the other one. By that time, Antvenom had taken out and loaded his bow, and together, they fired back at the first Blaze. It quickly died, but the second started shooting again. Sparklez dodged all but the last one, which he pulled back his arm, and with a roar he punched it back towards the Blaze, who exploded in a blast of fire.

Ant and Sparklez shot and killed three Pigmen who had started charging them. All of a sudden, the Nether Prince mumbled, "Protect me," to Ant, and closed his eyes.

One of the Wither Skeletons attacked the other, killing its surprised companion with its own stone sword. Then, it turned and faced the Pigmen, slashing its sword at the nearest one, which sent them all into chaos.

Antvenom watched this all from a distance, making sure Sparklez didn't get hurt. Suddenly, he felt something pushing at his mind, trying to get in. He turned to call to Sparklez, but as he did, the presence entered and it spoke.

_I'm going to fight Herobrine; you_ _take care of the Pigmen then help me._ It was CaptainSparklez, but he sounded very stressed, and his mind felt very different from the way Sky's had.

_Ok_

Sparklez left his head, and the Wither Skeleton was finally killed by the hoard of Pigmen. There were thirteen Pigman left, still far more than any human could handle. Even with the extra practice, there was no way Antvenom would survive.

* * *

The Nether Prince turned and faced Herobrine, who smiled and spoke softly in his rich voice.

"Have you come to meet your death, my son? Or are you just leading your human to his?"

"I am here to kill you, Herobrine. And I swear by the Overworld, the Nether, and the End that I will achieve my goal or die trying."

Herobrine merely shrugged and said, "Your loss."

CaptainSparklez started attacking Herobrine with his mind, trying to get through his impenetrable defenses. He was easily deflected and forced to go on defensive. Sparklez started walking backwards, away from his father to make the attack on his mind weak, but to no avail. Herobrine just stood from his quartz throne and started walked towards Sparklez, his white eyes glowing strongly. Sounds of fighting Pigmen and human were heard behind them, but neither father nor son turned to look. It was as if they were in a world of their own, a fierce battle of consciousness that the son was losing. He had never really had a chance, being part human and with less experience.

Sparklez grimaced and suddenly he heard Ant scream, "Sparklez!" As he lost his concentration, the son of Herobrine's eyes turned from a piercing blue to white. Herobrine had won. As Herobrine turned to face the petty human that had been the start of all this, a golden blade sliced through his neck. The head of Herobrine fell to the ground along with his body, splattering dark, blackish purple ichor on Ant's arm. "Augh!" He cried out as the god's blood started burning his skin. Antvenom wiped the ichor off on Herobrine's shirt and surveyed the room.

Many dead, swordless Pigman littered the area, and two bodies lay on the ground in front of him. _Wait, two!?_ Ant looked at the second body, why was Sparklez hurt? He rushed to his friend and put his head on the Nether Prince's chest-there it was, a very faint heartbeat.

"Sky," He yelled to nothing in particular, "I need your help!"

SkyDoesMinecraft casually walked into the Throne Room, carrying as many gold swords as he could and staggered over to Ant. He carefully put the swords down and looked at Sparklez.

"I hate to be the one to break it to you, but I'm pretty sure the only way you can save him is by kissing him."

"WHAT?! But I'm a man!"

"I didn't make the rules of magic," Sky shrugged and picked up his swords, "and he's a Nether beast, you don't have to save him"  
Ant looked down at Sparklez, and leaned down to give him a quick kiss on the lips. He immediately felt a drain in his strength and saw the change in his friend as well. The color returned to his face, his heartbeat became strong again, and his eyes turned from pure white to their original blue. Sparklez blinked and froze.

"My father is dead" he stated. "His presence is gone from the living world." CaptainSparklez smiled up at Ant and stood up. Then, he looked behind Ant and at Sky, quickly asking, "What's so funny?" At this point, Sky burst into the laughter that he had been keeping in. It took a full five minutes for Ant to get words out of him.

"Oh, my Notch. You-you, hehe, you didn't have to kiss him. You just needed to touch his skin," Sky said in between his laughter and once he was done, he almost dropped his gold swords from laughing.

Understanding dawned on Antvenom and he said, "Wait a-SKY, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU WHEN I GET BACK!" Ant started running towards his brother, but Sky had wisely gone back to the Overworld.

"Um, did I miss something when I was gone?" Sparklez asked, quite confused.

* * *

As heir to the Nether Throne, CaptainSparklez had discharged all the Nether creatures from their service-with most of them promising to help if he needed it. Now Ant and Sparklez stood at the portal, ready to pass through to another world.

"A-Ant?"

"Yes, Sparklez?" The Nether Prince sounded nervous as he spoke his next words.

"C-Could you show me the Overworld? Could you help people accept me for who I am?"

Ant smiled and replied, "Sparklez, you don't have anything to worry about. I will make sure nothing happens, and I'm sure nothing will happen. After all, we just saved Minecraftia from the biggest problem it's ever had to face. And if people still don't respect you, then I can ask Sky to help. He's got the whole Sky Army that will do whatever he says! Just don't mention gold in front of him, call it budder."

Ant took a step into the portal and saw his friend was still hesitant. He put out his hand, and a moment later, Sparklez took it. Then, together, the Heroes of Minecraftia stepped through the portal.


End file.
